New Zealanders in London Tell Us How They Voted on Brexit and Why

On Friday it was confirmed Britain indeed voted in favour of Brexit and everything has been a bit crazy since. The British pound has nosedived while Prime Minister David Cameron—the driving force behind the "Britain stronger with Europe" campaign—resigned almost immediately on Friday night (AU/NZ time).

Days later there's been substantial blame levelled at older generations and nationalistic Brits. But that's not an entirely accurate picture. Some younger people voted "leave," as did many Commonwealth and Irish citizens who were born overseas.

We caught up with three Kiwis in London to see which way they voted and why, as foreigners, they felt passionate about the referendum.

VICE: Hey Ellen, why did you vote for Britain to remain in the EU?
Ellen: I mean, I just don't believe that separating ourselves from countries surrounding us will solve any one issue.

What's the atmosphere in London been like leading up to the Brexit?
People have just been discussing it so much, you have no idea. Everywhere you go, especially in the city, you can always see something about it. I'm literally at the train station now and just loudly shouted: "What the fuck! Well that's it isn't it? We're fucked."

Have you found the issue to be very divisive among New Zealanders abroad in the UK? Or have your Kiwi friends been mostly in agreement?
It's definitely been divisive. Most people are also so stuck in their ways that they can't acknowledge a difference in opinion. Like they are incapable of accepting it. There's definitely been a generational divide between a lot of elderly people and young people. The elderly wanted Brexit. People around me tended to be leaning towards remaining, mostly for the same reasons as me.

What was it like hearing things went the other way?
Oh man, I was hugely shocked. I think everyone knew it would be close, but to be honest I didn't think the result would be to leave. I woke up at 5:30 AM and had absolutely no idea what the day will bring in terms of media, or whether David Cameron would resign. Fuck, we will just have to see what happens and hope for the best.

Did you vote to Remain or Leave, Penelope?
Leave.

Why is that?
I think remaining is hugely undemocratic. It's like Australia making New Zealand's laws for us. I think the immigration system is really unfair. They have to let in everyone from the EU to be waitresses, but they can't let in Indian engineers. Everyone who is a non-EU migrant is shoved to the side. I don't know it's like being part of a club with moving conditions.

How does Britain stand to gain from leaving the EU?
You just don't know what the leaders of the other countries will be doing in five years time, and Britain will be dragged along with their decision-making. In terms of trade, Britain was a prosperous economy before they joined the common market in 1973, there is no reason why they can't be that after they leave in 2016.

What compelled you to vote?
The Commonwealth has been given this voice, it's important to use it.

What's the main argument in favour of leave that you've come across?
It's always about the economy. They think the economy will fall apart if we leave, they think it will start a war. My friends who wanted to remain became self-righteous in a nasty way. They believe anyone who voted leave is racist.

Can you tell me why you wish to remain anonymous?
I'm the only Kiwi "leaver" I know. I've lost friends over this. I already have no friends because of it. It's very tense. I mean, even I was expecting the result to be remain. I knew it would be close, but I thought we would remain.

Let's jump straight in, which way did you vote in the referendum?
Very straight up question! I'm not usually one to share my political beliefs publicly, but in this case I was backing remain. To me it made sense to stay in, as leaving could have massive economic implications for the UK. We've seen that this morning.

England obviously isn't you're home country. Why bother voting?
I believe in a right to have your say. Even though I still call NZ home, the UK is a place I'm planning to spend a number of years, so it still is an important decision to make for me. Although it was surprising how many Kiwis on visas over here didn't realise they could vote.

How tense did the lead up get?
To be honest, the lead up has been long. A lot has been riding on the campaign, and it is a big decision. But for some I know the story has been going on and on, and by this week a few people I talked to just wanted it all to be over.

I take it from the general online reaction, a leave vote was not the predicted result? What did you expect?
I mean I was expecting remain to win based on the polling, what I'd seen on social media and talking to people over here. Everyone is shocked. I think we knew it would be close. We knew the lead would switch between leave and remain throughout the night—but we didn't expect it to swing this way in the end.

Alex, were you in or out?
I voted in, and I had loads of reasons for that.

Tell me some of them.
Well firstly, Europe offers so many opportunities for individuals and large companies work-wise. It would've been amazing for me, once I get my UK passport, to have been able to travel freely around Europe and have access to more jobs. It was also obviously hugely beneficial for companies who wanted to set up a European office but couldn't afford to do so in London.

So the economic downturn hasn't come as a surprise?
Not at all. Pretty much everything I read said if the UK votes out stocks will crash and the pound will drop, due uncertainty in the market.

Can you see why someone might have voted out?
I guess there are a high number of unskilled EU workers living on benefits. I just think when governments should make plans to fix these issues, rather than running away and closing the doors to people who don't have enough points to qualify. Not everyone is there take advantage of the system.

You seemed really informed about Brexit. Being a New Zealander, why did you care about it so much?
It's just such a privilege to be able to be part of a decision that is a true representation of democracy. Even though this isn't my country, it affects me. I will never say no to a vote.

Did you expect this outcome?
I thought that it would be close but I did ultimately think that they would remain. At the end of the day I think that a lot of people believe this will fix all of Britain's problems. I guess time will tell whether this was the right choice. The people have spoken and they want out.

*One of the names in this article has been changed for privacy reasons